Public Invited: Fair Housing Discussion coming to Cedar Rapids/Marion on November 8th

Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission Fair Housing Conference

Current Fair Housing Issues

Thursday, November 8, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Kirkwood Training & Outreach Services (KTOS)

3375 Armar Drive, Marion

Registration: $25 (includes continental breakfast and lunch)
*Register by 5pm October 31 to receive lunch.
Late registrations and same day registrants will be accepted - Lunch will not be included for late registrants

This Conference is designed to give housing professionals, attorneys, social service staff, and community members, a strong understanding of Fair Housing laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Credit. Come learn about your rights and your responsibilities!

REGISTER: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4550536778/eivtefrnd#

This event has been approved for 1.75 hours of Continuing Legal Education activity credit.
Please notify us at Registration if you are requesting CLE credit.
Members of the Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors should contact the CRAAR for more information.  Scholarships are availabe for CRAAR members.

PROGRAM
8:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:45 Welcome

• Karl Cassell, Executive Director, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission
• Ron Corbett, Mayor, City of Cedar Rapids
• Snooks Bouska, Mayor, City of Marion

9:00 Keynote

• Betty Bottiger, Region VII Director, Housing and Urban Development

10:00 An Overview of Fair Housing Law.

• A discussion of recent court and administrative decisions. Areas of emphasis will include prohibited practices, protected classes and issues relating to persons with disabilities and families.
• Professor Allison Bethel, Clinical Professor, Director, Fair Housing Clinic, The John Marshall Law School

11:00 The Fair Housing Act, Persons with Disabilities, Animals and Pets.

1. This session will examine and compare federal, state and local laws that govern the rights of persons with disabilities to live with or be accompanied in public by animals who provide service, support, assistance or companionship. The workshop will focus on how to apply the federal Fair Housing Act, Iowa Civil Rights Act, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Ordinance, Iowa's Rights of Persons with Disabilities law, and Dangerous Wild Animals law. Parrots and pooches and pigs, oh my!
2. Professor Len Sandler, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law

12:00 Lunch

• Accessibility to and within Housing: Applicable Laws and Regulations for Dwellings and Common Areas.
• This session will cover The Americans with Disabilities Act and Amendments and The Fair Housing Act and Amendments, including purpose and overview, specific regulations to housing, common and public area regulations, and animals for companionship and service. We will also talk about the influence and confluence of related laws for persons with disabilities.
• Jim de Jong, Executive Director and Principal Investigator, Great Plains ADA Center

1:00 Credit Reports: The Good, the Bad, the Bottom Line.

• We will discuss information contained in a credit report, credit scoring, interpreting credit history – what’s important, what’s not, reading between the lines, and improving credit – creating opportunities.
• Scott Shook, Director of Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Horizons

LUNCH OPTIONS

• Turkey Sandwich on French Baguette
• Walnut Chicken Salad on Croissant
• Vegetarian Sandwich on Sourdough Bread

Lunch includes sandwich, fresh fruit, chips, and a cookie

If you have questions about this event, please contact the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission at 319-286-5036.  I, Robin Tucker, am one of the eleven local residents that currently serves on the City's Civil Rights Commission.  My father, I.L. "Tommy" Tucker had the pleasure of being one of the original commissioners, when Cedar Rapids began to promote equal opportunity and civil rights in our community.  He served the Commission as a volunteer Commissioner for 32 years.

News from our local Realtor Association

Robin is scheduled to attend the monthly Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors meeting. Highlights of the July meeting:

CRAAR July Real Estate Today Show
Where it's all about you!

Agenda: Fire Safety
Observe the devastating effects and progression of a fire in a home, realize the importance of smoke detectors, and be made aware of laws regarding in-house sprinkler systems and hard wired smoke detectors in new construction.

Featured Speaker
Deb Krebill, District Fire Chief with the Marion Fire Department

Date: Wednesday, July 21st
Location: A Touch of Class (5977 Mt Vernon Road SE)

***1 Continuing Education Elective Hour

Fire safety is an important in all housing, regardless of age. Always remember to have your smoke detectors in good working condition.

ttrco

June 2010 arrives to Summer weather and plenty of Sunshine ...

We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.

Wow, we are a month away from the half way point of the year. We are a week away from Primary Election Day in Iowa on June 8Th. Are you registered to vote in Iowa?

Calendar of Events fueled by Cultural Corridor.org.

What's up with the City of Cedar Rapids this month ...

What's up with the
City of Marion this month ...

ttrco

City of Marion to conduct community Visioning workshop ...

Tommy Tucker Realty Co. has served a variety of customers and clients over the years in Marion, Iowa. As a part of the greater Cedar Rapids area, a healthy Cedar Rapids and a healthy Marion go hand and hand. We received the following release today regarding the update in the City of Marion Comprehensive Plan.

The public is encouraged to participate in the Visioning process ...

The City of Marion is in the process of developing a new/updated Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is intended to serve as a “road map” to help guide community policy and decision making for issues ranging from community character and aesthetics to targeted redevelopment and open space. The Comprehensive Plan will establish a long-range vision for the community, define community goals and objectives, and provide guidance for implementing programs and policies to assist in making positive change for the City of Marion.

We need your input…Building on a comprehensive inventory and assessment of existing market conditions, existing physical conditions and community input, the comprehensive planning process has identified several planning issues the community is currently facing or will likely face in the future. Having completed this initial assessment of the local planning context, we have reached a critical juncture in the planning process and need your input. The next step in the creation of a new Comprehensive Plan is to establish the community’s vision for the future that will address the identified issues and define the direction of development in and around Marion for the next 10 to 15 years. To accomplish this, a Community Visioning Workshop will be held at the Art for Living Center (Lowe Park), located at 4500 10Th Street, Marion, at 6:00 P.M. Tuesday, June 23rd.

The Visioning Workshop will begin with a brief overview of the comprehensive planning process and the results of the existing conditions and market analysis. The workshop participants will then be broken up into small focus groups where individuals will have the opportunity to express their opinion regarding specific issues and concerns. The groups will draw and visualize draw on large maps of the community highlighting improvements, ideas and concepts for future consideration. This creative exercise will give participants the opportunity to literally sketch their own plans for the future. The results of the individual focus groups will then be used to establish a collective community vision statement. The vision statement will be a narrative description of Marion in 10 to 15 years and will be used to form the goals, objectives, and, ultimately, the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan.

The new Comprehensive Plan is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2009. Please visit the Comprehensive Plan Project website, which can be reached via a link on the City’s web page (http://www.cityofmarion.org/) for regular updates. For any questions or comments related to the Comprehensive Plan, please contact the City of Marion Planning and Development Department.

Remember, if you are interested, you are welcome to attend this event on June 23rd at 6 PM at Lowe Park, located at 4500 10Th street, in Marion.

ttrco